Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When we turn our face away from the Guru, we lose our way, wandering in circles and feeling more and more lost.
That lost feeling is an invitation. The moment you turn back toward the Guru, the wandering stops and you find the path home again.
Turning away from the Guru leaves us lost.
The verse uses harsh comparisons, to animals and to people treated as low, to show how far a person drifts when they turn from the Guru. The point is the drifting, not the names. In Sikhi, no one is lower by birth.
Gur tay muhu fayray tinh jon bhavaa-ee-ai — whoever turns their face from the Guru wanders from life to life. Bandhan baadhi-aa aa-ee-ai jaa-ee-ai — tied up, they keep coming and going. Think of a hiker who puts away the map and walks in circles in the woods. The path home is still there. Turning back toward the Guru is how you find it.
When you feel off-track, what helps you find your way back?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI